[Biopython-dev] Beta code in the official releases?

[Brad Chapman]

Andrew;

> Yeah, it would be great if this module could finally be included. I've
> e-mailed the list numerous times asking what would be necessary to
> include it and have done all you and Brad have asked. I've watched you
> include bits and pieces of code from other contributors quickly and
> without much scrutiny, so I can't help but feel singled out. What is
> the logic in delaying this? We've heard from people who are already
> using the code and have asked when it will be pulled. Is it serving
> the community to not even include the basic reader/writer? Am I
> wasting my time? Is it your goal to actively discourage contributions?

In addition to Peter's technical comments, from a personal side I hope
you don't take offense. We definitely value contributions and your work.

Some changes can end up being tricky because of the need to work with or
fix previous non-optimal design decisions. When they require extra
attention and decisions this can make it hard to allocate time for
folks that volunteer on the project.

This is definitely nothing personal and I hope you don't feel that way.
My GFF parser has languished for even longer for similar reasons.

I think the long term solution for this is incorporating beta code so we
can get these in, recognize the contributions, make them available,
and still giving wiggle room to improve the design before locking into
an API that we need to support long term.

Thanks again for all the work. We do appreciate it,
Brad